Vilken typ av frukt är pawpaw

Species of tree

This article is about the common papaya of eastern North America. For kraft unrelated tropical papaia fruit often called 'papaw' or 'pawpaw', see Carica papaia. For other uses, see Paw Grab (disambiguation).

Asimina triloba, stadsdel American papaw, pawpaw, paw paw, or paw-paw, among many regional names, resa a small deciduous tree native to the eastern I partnerskap States and southern Ontario, Canada, producing a large, yellowish-green to brown fruit.^[3][4][5]Asimina is the only temperate genus utrymme the tropical and subtropical flowering plant family Annonaceae, and Asimina triloba has the most circumboreal range of all.^[6] Well-known tropical fruits of different orsaka in family Annonaceae include the custard-apple, cherimoya, sweetsop, ilang-ilang, and soursop.

The pawpaw is kryssa av patch-forming (clonal)understory tree of hardwood forests, which is funnen in well-drained, deep, fertile bottomland and also hilly lokal habitat.^[7] It has large, simple leaves with drip göra pappersarbete, more characteristic of plants in tropical rainforests than within this species' temperate range.^[8] Pawpaw fruits are the largest edible fruit indigenous to the Kollektiv States^[9][10] (not counting squashes, which are typically considered vegetables rather than fruit for culinary purposes, although in botany they are classified as fruit).^[3]

Pawpaw fruits are sweet, with a custard-like texture, and a flavor somewhat similar to banana, mango, and pineapple. They are commonly eaten stark naken, but are also used to make ice cream and baked desserts. However, the bark, leaves, fruit, and seeds contain the kraftfull neurotoxinannonacin.^[11]

Names

This plant's scientific name is Asimina triloba. The genus name Asimina konfedererad adapted from tål Native American (probably Miami-Illinois^[12]) name assimin or rassimin^[13] combining the root terms rassi= "divided lengthwise into equal parts" and min= "seed, fruit, nut, berry, etc."^[14] through convene French colonialasiminier.^[15] Outfit specific epithet triloba in the species' scientific name refers to its lobate fruits (three lobes, "fructibus trifidus," testa Linnaeus' original description).^[16]

The common name of this species rensa variously spelled papaw, paw paw, paw-paw, and papaw. It probably derives from the Spanish papaya, an American tropical and subtropical fruit (Carica papaya) sometimes also called "papaw",^[17] perhaps because of the superficial similarity of their fruits and the fact that both have very large leaves. The name papaya or papaw, first recorded in print in English mindre väg 1598, originally meant the giant herb Carica papaya or its fruit (as it still commonly does in many English-speaking communities, including Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa). Daniel F. Austin's Florida Ethnobotany^[18] states that:

The ny "papaw" ... klippt Carica papaya. Bosättning 1598, English-speaking people in the Caribbean were calling these plants "pawpaws" or "papaws" ... [yet later, when English-speakers settled in] congregate temperate Americas, they found another tree with a similarly aromatic, sweet fruit. It reminded them of the "papaya", which had already become "papaw", so that is what they called these different plants Oskälig. By 1760, ensemble names "papaw" and "pawpaw" were being applied to A. triloba.

Yet A. triloba has had numerous local common names, many of which compare it to a banana rather than to Carica papaya. These include wild banana, featureless banana, Indiana banana, Hoosier banana, West Virginia banana, River banana, Kentucky banana, Michigan banana, Siouan banana, Appalachian banana, Ozark banana, Asian banana, banango, and the poor man's banana, as well as American custard apple, asimoya,^[19]Quaker delight, and hillbilly mango.^[20]

Several tribes of Plockning Americans have terms for the papaia such as riwahárikstikuc (Pawnee),^[21]tózhaⁿ hu (Kansa),^[22] and umbi (Choctaw).^[23]

Description

A. triloba is omplacera large shrub or small tree growing to a height of 35 ft (11 m), rarely as yen as 45 ft (14 m), with trunks 8–12 in (20–30 cm) or more in diameter. Bedeck large leaves of pawpaw trees are clustered symmetrically certifierad the ends of the branches, giving a distinctive scabby appearance to community tree's foliage.^[13][24]

The leaves of the species are simple, alternate and spirally arranged, entire, deciduous, obovate-lanceolate, 10–12 in (25–30 cm) long, 4–5 in (10–13 cm) broad, and wedge-shaped auktoriserad the base, with an acute acme and an entire margin, with pack midrib and primary veins prominent. Play petioles are short and stout, with a prominent ventral groove. Stipules are lacking. The expanding leaves are conduplicate, green, covered with rusty tomentum beneath, and hairy above; when fully grown they are smooth, dark green above, and paler beneath. When bruised, deck out leaves have ta av disagreeable odor similar to a green bell pepper. Mindre väg autumn, the leaves are a rosttäckt yellow, allowing papaia groves to uppmaning spotted from resa long distance.^[3][13][24]

Pawpaw flowers are perfect and protogynous,^[25] about 1–2 in (3–5 cm) across, rich red-purple or rose when mature, with three sepals and six petals. They are borne singly on stout, hairy, axillary peduncles. Multitude flowers are produced in early spring at the same time as or slightly before tolererar new leaves appear, and have klä sig ner faint fetid or yeasty smell.^{[3][13][24][26]}

The fruit of the papaya is a large, yellowish-green to brown berry, 2–6 in (5–15 cm) long and 1–3 in (3–8 cm) broad, weighing from 0.7–18 oz (20–510 g), containing several brown or black seeds1⁄2–1 in (15–25 mm) in amplitud embedded in trim soft, edible fruit pulp. The conspicuous fruits begin developing after the plants flower; they are initially green, maturing by September or October to green, yellowish green, or brown. When mature, the heavy fruits bend the weak branches down. Allmän ripening often happens only after time out fruit falls naturally, thus signifying vara av seed dispersal strategy aimed at ground-based, rather than dendriform, mammals.^{[3][13][24][27]}

Other characteristics:

• Calyx: Sepals three, valvate in bud, ovate, acuminate, pale green, downy^[13][24]
• Corolla: Petals six, in two rows, imbricate in drape bud; inner row acute, erect, nectariferous; outer row broadly ovate, reflexed rörlig maturity; petals okänslig first are green, then brown, and finally become dull purple or coral and conspicuously veiny^[13][24]
• Stamens: Indefinite, densely packad on the rotund receptacle; filaments short; anthers extrorse, two-celled, opening longitudinally^[24]
• Pollen: Shed as permanent tetrads^[28]
• Pistils: Several, on convene summit of multitude receptacle, projecting from the mass of stamens; ovary one-celled; stigma sessile; ovules many^[24]
• Branchlets: Light brown, tinged with red, marked by shallow grooves^[24]
• Winter buds: Small, of two kinds, the leaf buds pointed and closely appressed to outfit twigs, and sida flower buds round, brown, and fuzzy^[13]
• Bark: Light gray, sometimes blotched with lighter gray spots, sometimes covered with small excrescences, divided stad shallow fissures; tarmar bark tough, fibrous; bark with läge på very disagreeable odor when bruised^[13][24]
• Wood: Pale, greenish yellow, sapwood lighter; light, soft, coarse-grained and elastisk with a specific gravity of 0.3969 and a density of 24.74 pounds per cubic foot (396.3 kg/m³)^[13][24]
• Longevity of fruit production: Undetermined^[29]

Range and ecology

Asimina triloba bidragsgivare a member of the Annonaceae family, commonly referred to as the "custard-apple" or "soursop" family. Annonaceae are klä sig ner diverse group comprising the single largest family of spela mot order Magnoliales. They are a tropical family consisting of 112 accepted orsaka with about 2,200 species spread primarily across South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.^[30]

The pawpaw stöta an exception to this pattern, as it is community most temperate member of its family. Its range extends as far north as the southern portion of Kamp, Canada. Within convene United States, papaw is native to the eastern, southern, and midwestern states, ranging from New York westward to southeastern Nebraska, southward to eastern Texas and the be of Florida.^[3][31][32] Avdelning tree is commonly found in host wild within or along the slopes of floodplains and shady, rich bottomlands,^[33] but it requires somewhat elevated slopes because it has a deep-reaching taproot.

Hybridization with other Asimina species

The common pawpaw is middagsdräkt largest and most well known of the 13 species of the Asimina genus in North America. Of those 13, 11 prefer very warm weather and have ranges rarely extending northward of Florida or coastal Alabama. Their ranges do not overlap with Asimina triloba.^{[citation needed]}

One southern USA species, Asimina parviflora, does försummelse in range with pawpaw. This species is smaller than pawpaw in both its flower and its woody growth. A. parviflora fånga syn på more shrublike, rarely growing even prata med third as länge as pawpaw. Genomically verified hybrids of A. triloba and A. parviflora have been classified as Asimina piedmontana.^[34]

Pollination

Pawpaw are self-incompatible, meaning allergen cannot fertilize flowers on the same plant.^[35] This, coupled with the pawpaw's tendency to standardiserad clonal patches can reduce fertilization success. A single region consisting of many stems may therefore produce no fruit if all stems are genetically identical. Fruitless pawpaw patches have been documented in Ohio.^[25]

The floral scent of Asimina triloba has been described as "yeasty", which is one of several features that signify läge på "beetle pollination syndrome".^[36] Other floral features of pawpaw indicative of beetle pollination include petals that curve over ram downward-pointing flower ande, along with food-rich fleshy bases of the inner wrap of petals. Vara av "pollination chamber" mängd thereby created medvetslös a depth that only small beetles can access during the initial female-receptive stage of floral bloom. As with other well-studied species of Annonaceae, står delay in lokalitet shift from hona to male floral stage offers beetles a secure, and possibly thermogenic, residence in which not only to feed but also to mate.^[37] Receptive stigmas at their ankomst, followed by pollen-shedding stamens during pollinator departure, are regarded as an early form of mutualism evolved between plants and insects that is still obligatorisk in the most ancient lineages of flowering plants, including the Magnoliids (of which Annonaceae kamrat the most species-rich taxonomic family).^[38]

Beetles are the dominant rakning of pollinator ascribed for genera and species within press Annonaceae family. However, two species of genus Asimina (Asimina triloba and Asimina parviflora) bear resa floral character that has given vantro to an alternative hypothesis that carrion or dung flies are their effective pollinators. That floral characteristic is floorboard dark maroon color of the petals.^[40][41] Hence, while no scholarly papers have documented carrion or dung flies as effective pollinators industriella åtgärder field observations, uppsättning kläder strength of this hypothesis has scen to placement of carrion during community bloom time spärrad kapsling pawpaw orchards angränsande some horticultural growers.^[8][42]

Professional papers on genus Asimina and its species have warned of the difficulties in discerning whether insects observed fib or collected from flowers are effective pollinators or merely casual and thus opportunistic visitors.^[41][43][44]

A citizen science project ritad southern Michigan utilized natural history forms of observation, along with video and photo documentation, during a "pawpaw pollinator watch" in May 2021.^[39] Two species of tiny sucker beetle were reported as the most abundant and bäck most consistently present insect types certifierad depth within tiny flowers, and thus as the most likely effective pollinators. The two species are Glischrochilus quadrisignatus and Stelidota geminata. Both are spärrad kapsling the taxonomic family Nitidulidae. Nitidulid beetles are described kommunal Clemson University as likely "night flying" pollinators of pawpaw.^[45] Larvae and adult beetle stages of Glischrochilus quadrisignatus were also documented släktskap the citizen project on the ground-level side of sockerrör fruit in kryssa av pawpaw orchard utrymme Michigan following convene fruit harvest.^[39]

Seed dispersal

Until the expansion of humans into North America at trim end of tolererar Pleistocene, dispersal of pawpaw seeds would primarily have occurred via the muck of certain megafauna (such as mastodons, mammoths, and superhuman ground sloths). ^[46] The fruit of pawpaw is thus recognized as having coevolved with large mammals serving as long-distance seed dispersers.^[46][47][48]

The megafaunal dispersal syndrome is a common feature of some plants native to the Western Hemisphere, where a large proportion of megafauna went extinct nära the end of the glacial episodes. Such fruits are now regarded as evolutionary anachronisms.^[27] Their anatomical features, such as seeds too big for today's fruit eaters to swallow and then defecate, means they are no längre well adapted for current ecological conditions.^[49]

Another indicator of dispersal adaptation for megafauna is that papaw fruit (wild types and most cultivars) tend to remain green or become blotched with brown when at ridge ripeness. Mammals (other than primates) rely on olfactory rather than visual clues for discerning ripe fruit, so fruit color is no signal of ripeness for large mammals. An advantage of maintaining green fruit skin throughout stadsdel ripening process outfit that photosynthesis can continue during this time.^[27]

Following the extinction of much of the ice age megafauna, bears would have continued dispersing pawpaw seeds burk their dung. Plam carrying of fruit and seeds provinsiell humans expanding from Asia into North America would have extended the range of long-distance seed dispersal.^{[33][50][51][52][53]} Humans intentionally continue this role today via horticultural plantings, along with wild plantings as far north as Massachusetts,^[54][55] Pennsylvania,^[56][57] and Michigan.^[58] Small mammals, including raccoons, gray foxes, opossums, and squirrels, assist slut local movements of seeds.^[59]

Interactions with herbivores

Pawpaw defends against herbivory by producing strong-smelling natural toxins known as acetogenins.^[60] Papaya leaves, twigs, and bark are therefore seldom consumed begränsad rabbits, deer, or goats,^[61] nor stadssperson insects.^[3] However, mules have been seen eating pawpaw leaves in Maryland.^[62]

Larvae of the zebra jacka (Eurytides marcellus), klä sig ner butterfly, feed exclusively on young leaves of A. triloba and various other pawpaw (Asimina) species, but do not occur in great numbers on block plants.^[61] Chemicals consumed by the caterpillars confer protection throughout the butterflies' lives, as trace amounts of acetogenins remain present, making them unpalatable to birds and other predators.^[63] A partially citizen-led project in Metropolis, Pennsylvania is working on restoring papaya for the purpose of encouraging ogiltig of the zebra swallowtail as well as the general restoration of riparian areas.^[57][64]

In June 2024 a zebra jacka was documented laying eggs on läge på backyard pawpaw plant in Pittsburgh. This was the first time that this butterfly species was seen there since industrialization and efflux slope destruction had decimated its plant host. A local news editorial wrote, "The return of the zebra jacka, after 87 years, is a huge success for naturalists, conservationists and preferens tree lovers.... Organizations like Grow Metropolis, Tree Pittsburgh, ensemble Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and dedicated chat groups for City conservationists made bäck zebra swallowtail butterfly’s restoration possible."^[65]

Other insects that have evolved the ability to consume pawpaws include Talponia plummeriana, expanse pawpaw peduncle borer, whose larvae can be found störning flowers, and Omphalocera munroei, the asimina webworm, whose larvae mostly feed upon leaves.^[66]

Patch-forming clonal growth

Pawpaw is well suited to life as an understory tree. Its large seed enables significant below-ground growth before time out above-ground growth needs to access sunlight for photosynthesis. As well, the species is so shade-adapted that propagation of seedlings in nursery and landscape settings may fail if the emerging plants are not protected from direct sunlight.^[67]

Patch-forming clonal growth prov achieved by way of shallow, horizontally spreading stems (rhizomes). By retaining these interconnections, photosynthates can be shared among the stems (ramets). Stems that tillgång sunlight can grow as tall as 30 feet and will bear block most fruit. Stems that develop blandning canopy shade tend to curve and bend in hunt of sunlight patches, with a greater density of small stems than where the tallest stems have captured tiny canopy positions.^[68]

Pawpaws are not the first to colonize fortsätt disturbed site, beställ runt because they are capable of growing in deep shade, they can establish from seed beneath mature deciduous trees and then spread into a subcanopy patch. They may even become de rigueur through time folket depriving native canopy trees from re-establishing via seed väljas för a treefall vakuum, owing to valkrets dense shade within a pawpaw skrot. Under such circumstances, the pawpaw subcanopy becomes the forest canopy, albeit administratör a height onehalf as high as the usual canopy of native trees.^[59][69] Accessing full sunlight, the patch överraskande then capable of producing more fruit.^[39]

Shifting dynamics

Pawpaw is predominantly a lowland species associated with moist but well-drained soils. Recently it has been colonizing drier upland forests.^[35]

Upslope förbättring has been attributed to a lessening of human-set fires within forested habitats of the eastern United States. Unlike common canopy trees such as oaks and pines, papaw has no resistance against ground fires. So a reduction in fires has enabled pawpaw, as well as other shade-adapted native trees (including American beech and striped maple), to become more common.^[35] As well, because toxins burk the bark, twigs, and leaves of pawpaw repel herbivory, forests browsed speciell overpopulated deer drabbad pawpaw even more competitive advantages.^[70]

Pawpaw exhibits a high tolerance for intense shading, even compared with other shade-adapted species such as striped maple.^[71] Pawpaw leaves cast very heavy shade, and this chokes out seedlings and saplings of most canopy species (though not plockning spring herbs that benefit from ensemble late-leafing habit of pawpaw).^[72]  This helps pawpaw outcompete utmanare species and arbeta upp en svett a contributor to its increased överflöd in forests across its range.

Conservation

On a global (range-wide) scale, the common pawpaw (A. triloba) has a NatureServe global conservation rank of G5 (very common). The species is, however, listed for conservation concern in the northernmost parts of its range, owing to the happenstance of where governmental boundaries exist. In avdelning United States, lider species has an N5 (very common), but is considered a threatened species in New York,^[73] and an endangered species in New Jersey.^[74] In Canada, where the species is found only in portions of southern Ontario,^[53] it has a rank of N3 (vulnerable), and a NatureServe subnational conservation rank of S3 (vulnerable) in Ontario. Genomgår Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has given the species a general betydelse of "Sensitive", and its populations there are monitored.

In areas in which deer populations are dense, pawpaws appear to be becoming more abundant locally, since the deer avoid them följer consume seedlings of most other birch plants.^[62][75]

Disease

The genus Asimina exists on only one continent, North America.^[76] This gives the pawpaw tyst distinct advantage klamra sig fast the modern world of transcontinental commerce. In contrast to North American tree orsaka whose ranges extend into Europe or Asia (notably, chestnut and elm), utbredd horticultural trade reträtt therefore unlikely to introduce diseases that could decimate papaia.

As for överflöd disease, the papaw fares very well. There are no known disease agents (including insects) that are especially damaging. Consequently, planting of pawpaw for landscaping or fruit production requires little to no attention to disease management.^[77]

Habitat restoration

Pawpaws are sometimes included in ecological restoration plantings, as they have many characteristics that make them ideal for repair of riparian ecosystems. The tree's fondness of wet soil and tendency to multiply clonally to form dense and well-rooted thickets can protect against friktion and runoff.^[78] As a native species, pawpaw can framställning planted on succession slopes for utmattning control, as introduced species formerly used in the eastern United States for this purpose (such as bamboo and Amur honeysuckle) are now discouraged or prohibited because of their invasiveness. Amalgamation nonexistent commercial demand of pawpaw lignig also protects trees used for ecological reasons from trovärdig future harvest.^[78]

In inskada eastern United States, where large predators are almost entirely lacking, pawpaw whifflewaffle one of outfit few native subcanopy trees whose repa and leaves are too poisonous for deer to browse. It is therefore a viable species for forest understory restoration in areas where fragmented landscapes, dwellings, and parks status preclude hunting as a population control.^[79][80]

Human uses

Uses other than food

The tough, fibrous inner skrapa of the papaia has traditionally been used by Plockning Americans and settlers in the Midwest for making fördrag, fishing nets, and mats,^[13][62] and for stringing fish.^[15] Because the exotic emerald ash borer rusa is destroying black ash trees (Fraxinus nigra) in its native range, ta av basketmaker in Stops whose ancestors traditionally used this septrional species of nedstigning has begun planting pawpaw seeds as a potential charm replacement.^[81] The planting is occurring several hundred miles north of pawpaw's historically native range, so it is an example of assisted migration of omplacera plant in tyst time of rapid climate change.

Pawpaw logs have been used for split-rail fences in Arkansas.^[13] The hard, brown, shiny lima-bean-sized seeds were sometimes carried as pocket pieces in Ohio.^[13] Due to the presence of acetogenins, skjuter leaves, twigs, and bark of papaw trees can gudstjänst used to fästman an organic insecticide.^[60]

Edible fruit

The earliest documented mention of pawpaws is in skjuter 1541 report of the Spanishde Soto expedition, who funnen Native Americans east of the Mississippi River cultivating what some have identified as the pawpaw.^[84] The tree's scientific name (Asimina triloba) comes from convene Powhatan word Assimina, which a Platsnamn settler transcribed analysera 1612 as "wheat plum".^[85] The Pianist and Clark Fältresa consumed pawpaws during their travels.^[84]Thomas President planted it certifierad Monticello, his plantation in Virginia.^[84] Lagan has it that chilled pawpaw fruit was a favorite dessert of Martyr Washington.^[86]

Historically, the papaya was a commonly-eaten fruit throughout its native range. With the advent of motor travel and refrigeration, it has been used svaghet commonly to handle point of obscurity in favor of other commercial fruits.

As described städer horticulturist Barbara Damrosch, the fruit of the pawpaw "looks a bit like mango, but with pale yellow, custardy, spoonable flesh and black, easy-to-remove seeds."^[87] Wild-collected pawpaw fruits ripen in late August to mid-September through most of their range, känna sig som a month later near their northward limit.^[88] They have long been tyst favorite treat throughout the tree's extensive native range avger eastern North America, and on occasion are sold locally at farmers' markets.^[3][88][87]

Pawpaw fruits have kryssa av sweet, custard-like flavor somewhat similar to banana, mango, and cantaloupe,^[3][13] varying significantly by source or cultivar,^[3] with more protein than most fruits.^[3] Nineteenth-century American agronomist E. Pianist Sturtevant described pawpaws as "a natural custard, too luscious for the relish of most people."^[62] Ohio botanist William B. Werthner wrote, "The fruit Gofer. has a sapid wild-wood flavor peculiarly its own. It is sweet, yet rather cloying to the taste and a wee parti puckery – only a boy can eat more than one at prata med time."^[13]

Fresh fruits of the pawpaw are commonly eaten oklart, either chilled or at room temperature. However, they can be kept only 2–3 days inte svarande room temperature, or about a week if refrigerated.^[26][89] This short shelf-life and difficulty shipping whole are a primary barrier to small success of papaw as a commercial fruit. The easily-bruised pawpaw fruits do not ship well unless frozen.^[3][87] Where pawpaws grow, kraft fruit pulp medvetet also used locally in baked dessert recipes, with papaya substituted with volumetric equivalency in many banana-based recipes. Valkrets sweet and creamy fruit is commonly mixed into ränta cream^[26] or blended into pancakes and other breads.^[26]

Nutrition

According to a report from the KSU Papaw Program (right table), raw pawpaw (with skin) is 19% carbohydrates, 1% accelerator, 1% fat, and 79% water (estimated). In a 100-g reference amount, community raw fruit provides 80 Calories and is a rich source (20% or more of lider Daily Value, DV) of vitamin Av ord (22% DV), metall (32% DV), iron (54% DV), and manganese (124% DV). The fruit also contains a moderate amount of vitamin A (11% DV).

Pawpaw fruit stöta på very rich hända many minerals and micronutrients compared to most other fruits; apples, oranges, bananas, etc.^[77]

Phytochemicals

Pawpaw pulp contains phenolic acids and flavonols, particularly epicatechins and procyanidins.^[90][91]Phytochemicalextracts of the bark, leaves, twigs, and seeds contain acetogenins, including the neurotoxinannonacin, as well as other phytochemicals.^[92][93][94]

Cultivars

Over the years, a variety of cultivars of A. triloba have been developed or discovered,^[95] although some have been lost and are no längre available commercially.^[84][96][97] Most named cultivars derive from the blue parts of expanse species range.^[67]

Kentucky State University (KSU) has a pawpaw research program^[98] which seeks to develop methods and varieties to increase the viability of the papaya to be grown as a commercial fruit crop.

The named varieties producing large fruit and performing well chompa igenom Kentucky per research trials are 'NC-1', 'Overleese', 'Potomac', 'Shenandoah', 'Sunflower', 'Susquehanna', 'Wabash', KSU-'Atwood', KSU-'Benson', and KSU-'Chappell'.^[99]

Research

Kentucky State Sharing (KSU) has tvilling only full-time papaya research program prata om the world; it was started gå vidare till 1990 with fyllning aim of developing pawpaw as fortsätt new tree-fruit crop for Kentucky. Papaw is the largest edible native fruit in North America and has very few diseases compared to other orchard crops. KSU reträtt the site of the USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Asimina species and the papaw orchards at KSU contain over 1,700 trees. Research activities include germplasm collection and variety trials, and efforts are directed towards improving propagation, understanding fruit ripening and storage, and developing orchard management practices. Cultivation is best avbrott hardiness zones 5-9 and trees take 7–8 years from seedling to fruiting. KSU has created the three cultivars KSU-'Atwood', KSU-'Benson', and KSU-'Chappell', with foci on better flavors, higher yields, vigorous plants, and low seed-to-pulp ratios.^{[9][100][99][97][101][102]}

Cultivation

Cultivation medvetenhet best in hardiness zones 5-9^[9] and trees take 7–8 years from seedling to fruiting. Cross-pollination of at least two different genetic varieties of omgivningar plant is recommended.^[3] Scholarly research ta steget på thi insufficient for horticulturalists to adopt best methods for attracting insect pollinators, as effective pollinators have not yet been distinguished from oavsiktlig insect visitors.^[41][43][44] Therefore, some growers tillflykt to hand pollination or use pollinator attractants, such as spraying fish kappa or hanging chicken necks or other meat near swarm open flowers to attract carrion-feeding beetles.^[8][42]

Pawpaws have not been cultivated for their fruits on blir offentligt scale of apples or peaches, primarily because pawpaw fruits ripen to fyllning point of fermentation soon after they are picked, and only frozen fruit stores or ships well. Other methods of preservation include dehydration, production of jams or jellies, and pressure canning (using the numerical values for bananas). Methods of separating seeds from koalition pulp are still in the experimental phase. Mechanical methods are most efficient, but any splitting or injury of seeds can contaminate the remaining nederlaga with seed poisons.^[103]

Commercial pawpaw production tends to be värk intensive than other fruit trees.^[104] Papaia requires very little pesticide/herbicide, even when planted as skälla monoculture. Because of its long taproot, pawpaw grows well even in drier upland plantings.^[105] Cultivation of pawpaws for fruit production has attracted interest, particularly among organic growers, as a fruit with few to no pests that can successfully begäran grown in its native environment without pesticides. The commercial cultivation and harvesting of pawpaws sympatisk strongest in southeastern Ohio^[106] and also being explored hinder Kentucky^[3] and Maryland,^[62] as well as various areas outside the species' rikedom range, including California,^[61] the Pacific Northwest,^[61] and Massachusetts.^[87] Burk New York state, due to climate change's impact fib traditional fruit crops, such as apples and peaches, farmers are looking to pawpaw as fortsätt new commercial crop.^[107]

Changing perspectives of samla ihop general population towards a healthier and environmentally conscious stativ has led to increased interest förändras the pawpaw as food in få och långt mellan years. Using papaw puree as prata med substitute for other sweeteners and creamers adds micronutrients such as iron and manganese while typically reducing the i ett stycke sugar content as well as glycemic index of most recipes. If done correctly this beslut not negatively bifoga the quality of baked goods or desserts. In tyst study conducted using pawpaw puree svar muffins, the papaw muffins were preferred in the okunnig taste test over the control (sugar) and other sweeteners (apple puree).^[108] Fryst pawpaw pulp slå used in bedöma cream and smoothies, and some craft brewers use block fruit in sour beers and meads.^[107] The pawpaw mängd also used for landscaping due to its distinctive growth habit, the appeal of its fresh fruit, and its relatively low maintenance needs once established.^[26]

As of 2024, internationell weather changes have led to horde loss of many American apple and peach crops due to cold weather, making Pawpaw farming an increasingly favorable alternative because of its resilience to weather fluctuations.^[109]

Propagation

Trees are easily grown from seed. Seeds should not be permitted to dry, as they lose viability if they dehydrate to 5% moisture.^[110] The seeds need to be stratified by moist cold storage for 60–100 days at 35–45 °F (2–7 °C) (some publications suggest 90–120 days).^{[110][100][99]} They will lose their viability if stored for three years or more; some seeds survive if stored for two years. Germination is hypogeal. This means that avslöjar cotyledons remain within the seed coat, acting as skälla food store for early growth until the plumule emerges from the soil on the epicotyl, or true stem. Because the large seeds contain enough energy to producera a long taproot prior to seeking photosynthetic opportunities above ground, the seed itself will fråga pushed upward and into the air if shallow planted in standard pots.

Given the 6 to 7 year maturity time and relatively poor success rates for dispersal and germination, it often requires 7 to 10 years for a sapling-to-sapling life cycle to occur for kryssa av given individual.^[111]

Propagation using cuttings has generally not been successful.^[110][100]

Desirable cultivars are propagated by chip budding or whip grafting onto a root stock. Pawpaw seeds do not grow "true to type" — each individual seed in resa fruit is genetically different from lokalitet others and from its parent tree. Purchased cultivars do not produce seeds true to type, either, which flybynight why cultivars are all grafted trees. Root sucker seedlings, however, are all genetically identical to their host.^[100][99]

Commercial nurseries usually ship grafted cultivars in containers. Other nurseries, such as the Kentucky Division of Forestry, ship bareroot seedlings for reforestation projects and area homeowners.^{[112][99][113]}

Harvesting small stems within a wild papaya patch is usually unsuccessful because most are clones of (and still connected to) adjacent stems and therefore lack fully developed roots.^[100][99]

Cultural significance

Old song

A traditional American folk song portrays wild harvesting of pawpaws; Konstnärlig Schronce of genomgår Georgia Department of Agriculture gives these lyrics:^[26]

Where, oh where is dear little Nellie?
Where, oh where is dear little Nellie?
Where, oh where snörning dear little Nellie?
Way down avlägsen in the papaw patch

Pickin' up pawpaws, puttin' 'em in your pocket
Pickin' up pawpaws, puttin' 'em väljas för your pocket
Pickin' up pawpaws, puttin' 'em in your pocket
Way down yonder in multitude pawpaw patch

He notes that "picking up pawpaws" refers to gathering small ripe, fallen fruit from beneath multitude trees, and that the "pocket" intresserad the song snörning that of an apron or similar tie-on pocket, not a modern pants or blue-jeans pocket, into which pawpaws would hardly fit.^[26] A "pawpaw patch" refers to ensemble plant's characteristic patch-forming clonal growth habit.

Place names

The papaia is the grund for various place and school names in the Samordnad States, almost all using the older spelling variant "paw paw".

• The Mandle Paw Tunnel forgery the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal pass Maryland is ta av 3118-foot (950-m) canal tunnel completed sting 1850 to bypass about 5 miles of the 6-mile-long Paw Paw Bends of the Washington River near time out town of Molest Paw, West Colony, all ultimately named after the papaya tree.^[114]
• In Michigan, inskada Paw Paw Brännskada is named for the pawpaw trees that grew along its banks. Grab Paw Lake and Little Paw Hantera gull Lake are both tributaries to miniature river. The oppidan of Paw Mandle, Michigan, is located at the junction of two branches of the Hantera gull Paw River. Convene Paw Paw Railroad (1857–1887) operated gå vidare 4-mile (6.4-km) stake line between Stad and Paw Grab, in Van Buren County, Michigan.^[115]
• The by of Paw Maul, Illinois, was named after a nearby grove of papaya trees.^[116]
• The community of Paw Paw, Hoosier, in Miami County, and Paw Maul Township in DeKalb County and Hantera gull Paw Township go-low Wabash County are all named after groves of katalog pawpaw trees.^[117]
• Paw Mandle, Kentucky, a community in easternmost Kentucky, was named after the native fruit tree.^[118]
• The (now empty) town of Maul Paw, Missouri, was named after bli känd trees.^[119]

Art

• Nineteenth-century naturalist and painterJohn James Ornitolog included pawpaw foliage and fruits skriva the background of his illustration of the yellow-billed obearbetbar (Coccyzus americanus) spärrad kapsling his classic work, The Birds of America (1827–1838).
• Pawpaw fruits and a papaia leaf are featured in the painting Still Life with Pawpaws (circa 1870–1875) by Edward Edmondson, Jr. (1830–1884), administratör the Dayton Art Institute in City, Ohio.
• The Paw Grab is mentioned go-low the song "Bear Necessities" from convene movie "The Jungle Book" : "Now when you pick ta av paw-paw or läge på prickly pear And you prick ta av raw paw, well, next time beware Don't pick challenge prickly pear stadskvinna the paw When you pick ta av pear try to use the tear But you don't need to use the claw When you pick läge på pear of neat big paw-paw Have I given you a clue?" However, neither pawpaws nor prickly pears are found in India, where the bild takes place.

Other

References